Editing Lady Bird Lake

{{Short description|Reservoir in Austin, Texas, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{redirect|Town Lake}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Town Lake
| image = AustinSkylineLouNeffPoint-Jun2010-a.JPG
| caption = View from Lady Bird Lake toward [[Downtown Austin]].
| alt     = Image of Lady Bird Lake with Austin in the background.
| image_bathymetry = 
| caption_bathymetry = 
| location = Central [[Austin, Texas]],<br />[[United States]]
| coords = {{Coord|30|15|03|N|97|42|49|W|type:waterbody_region:US-TX|display=inline,title}}
| type = Power plant cooling/recreational [[Reservoir (water)|reservoir]]
| inflow = [[Colorado River (Texas)|Colorado River]]
| outflow = [[Colorado River (Texas)|Colorado River]]
| catchment = 
| basin_countries = United States
| date-built = 1960
| length = 
| width = 
| area = {{convert|468|acre|abbr=on}}
| depth = 
| max-depth = {{convert|18|ft|abbr=on}}
| volume = 
| residence_time = 
| shore = 
| elevation = {{convert|428|ft|abbr=on}}
| frozen = 
| islands = 
| cities = 
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| pushpin_map             = Texas#USA
| pushpin_label_position  = 
| pushpin_map_alt         = Location of Lady Bird Lake in Texas, USA.
| pushpin_map_caption     = 
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| website            = 
| reference          = 
}}
'''Lady Bird Lake''' (formerly, and still colloquially referred to as '''Town Lake''') is a river-like [[reservoir]] on the [[Colorado River (Texas)|Colorado River]] in [[Austin, Texas]], United States. The City of Austin created the reservoir in 1960 as a [[cooling pond]] for a new city power plant. The lake, which has a surface area of {{convert|416|acres|0|abbr=on}}, is now used primarily for recreation and [[flood control]]. The reservoir is named in honor of former [[First Lady of the United States]] [[Lady Bird Johnson]].<ref name="Lady Bird Lake">{{cite web |publisher=Handbook of Texas Online |title=Lady Bird Lake |url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rollb |access-date=December 30, 2010}}</ref>

Lady Bird Lake is the easternmost lake of a chain of reservoirs on the river, which is completely located in Texas, and should not be confused with the larger [[Colorado River]] located in the [[Southwestern United States]]. This chain, known locally as the [[Texas Highland Lakes]], also includes [[Lake Buchanan (Texas)|Lake Buchanan]], [[Inks Lake]], [[Lake LBJ]], [[Lake Marble Falls]], [[Lake Travis]], and [[Lake Austin]].

==History==
[[File:Longhorn dam.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Longhorn Dam impounds Lady Bird Lake|alt=image of Longhorn Dam on Lady Bird Lake]]
The City of Austin constructed [[Longhorn Dam]] in 1960 to form Town Lake. The city needed the reservoir to serve as a cooling pond for the [[Holly Street Power Plant]], which operated from 1960 until 2007.<ref>{{cite web|title=Holly Street Power Plant is Retired|url=ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/GIS-Data/PARD/HollyShores_FestivalBeachMasterPlan/Archival%20material/Holly_AHC.pdf|work=Austin Energy Customer News|publisher=Austin Energy|access-date=April 9, 2013}}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Before 1971, the shoreline of Town Lake was mostly a mixture of weeds, unkempt bushes, and trash.<ref name=ktbc>{{cite news |title=Former Austin Mayor Roy Butler Has Died |url=http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/news/local/111309-former-austin-mayor-roy-butler-has-died |work=[[KTBC (TV)|KTBC]] |date=November 13, 2009 |access-date=December 19, 2009}}</ref> Local television station [[KTBC (TV)|KTBC]] referred to the lake as an "eyesore".<ref name=ktbc/> Some concerned Austinites led small projects to clean up the lake. [[Roberta Crenshaw]], chair of the Austin Board of Parks and Recreation, purchased nearly 400 trees and shrubs in an effort to spearhead parkland development around the lake.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://austinfound.blog.statesman.com/2015/02/09/roberta-crenshaw-lady-bird-lakes-unsung-hero/ |title=Roberta Crenshaw:Lady Bird Lake's unsung hero |author=American-Statesman Staff |work=Austin American-Statesman |date=February 9, 2015 |access-date=January 14, 2020 |archive-date=January 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115040521/https://austinfound.blog.statesman.com/2015/02/09/roberta-crenshaw-lady-bird-lakes-unsung-hero/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> During his two terms in office (1971–75), the [[Mayor of Austin]], [[Roy Butler (American politician)|Roy Butler]], led the Austin City Council to establish the Town Lake Beautification Committee, and he appointed Lady Bird Johnson as the project's honorary chairman. Johnson's involvement brought attention and money (including $19,000 of her own) to the Town Lake project, allowing for the planting of hundreds of shrubs and trees.<ref>Wear, Ben. "Lady Bird helped turn Town Lake into town treasure". ''Austin American-Statesman'', July 13, 2007. pA1, A6.</ref> The city also built a system of [[Hiking|hike]] and [[bike trail]]s along the shoreline of the lake.

On July 26, 2007, the Austin City Council passed a resolution authorizing the renaming of the reservoir from Town Lake to Lady Bird Lake in honor of Lady Bird Johnson, who had died earlier that month.<ref name="chron_20070726">Raskin, Amy. [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/side/5002581.html "Austin changes Town Lake name to Lady Bird Lake"].  ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''.  July 26, 2007.</ref>  Johnson had declined the honor of having the lake renamed for her while she was alive.  In renaming the lake, the City Council recognized Johnson's dedication to beautifying the lake and her efforts to create a recreational trail system around the lake's shoreline.<ref name="wilson">{{cite web |url-status=dead |last1=Wilson |first1=Janet |url=http://www.statesman.com/news/content/shared/news/stories/ladybird/0711ladybird.html |title=Lady Bird Johnson dies at 94 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219191918/http://www.statesman.com/news/content/shared/news/stories/ladybird/0711ladybird.html |archive-date=February 19, 2012 |website=[[Austin American-Statesman]] |date=July 12, 2007}}</ref>

In 2009, non-profit organization Keep Austin Beautiful<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home - Keep Austin Beautiful |url=https://keepaustinbeautiful.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104105157/https://keepaustinbeautiful.org/ |archive-date=Jan 4, 2024 |website=keepaustinbeautiful.org}}</ref> launched "Clean Lady Bird Lake".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Barnes|first1=Michael|title=Volunteer Linda McCoy-Shriever fights cancer and cleans up creeks|url=http://www.mystatesman.com/entertainment/volunteer-linda-mccoy-shriever-fights-cancer-and-cleans-creeks/nMYRa86yzoSjeqjNqz00dL/|website=Austin American-Statesman|access-date=22 February 2017|date=May 20, 2013|archive-date=February 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222194847/http://www.mystatesman.com/entertainment/volunteer-linda-mccoy-shriever-fights-cancer-and-cleans-creeks/nMYRa86yzoSjeqjNqz00dL/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The program mobilizes thousands of community volunteers annually to conduct large-scale cleanups along the lake every other month and targeted cleanups throughout the year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://austinist.com/2012/11/28/keep_austin_beautiful_looking_for_v.php |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130117122855/http://austinist.com/2012/11/28/keep_austin_beautiful_looking_for_v.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |title=Keep Austin Beautiful Looking For Volunteers To Clean Up Lady Bird Lake |publisher=Austinist |first=Barbara |last=Strickland |date=November 28, 2013 |access-date=November 20, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Clean Lady Bird Lake|url=http://keepaustinbeautiful.org/program/clean-lady-bird-lake|website=Keep Austin Beautiful|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref>

In 2014, a one-mile stretch of the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, named after a former Austin mayor and his wife, was paved to create a boardwalk.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail and Boardwalk at Lady Bird Lake {{!}} AustinTexas.gov |url=https://www.austintexas.gov/department/ann-and-roy-butler-hike-and-bike-trail-and-boardwalk-lady-bird-lake |access-date=2024-03-07 |website=www.austintexas.gov}}</ref>

On February 5, 2024, members of the Austin Police Department responded to the 300 block of West Cesar Chavez Street, where first responders recovered a dead body that had been discovered by civilians earlier, following a series of four other bodies recovered from the lake in 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hernandez |first=Emily |title=Body pulled from Lady Bird Lake not ruled a homicide, police say |url=https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/body-lady-bird-lake-austin-18650839.php |access-date=2024-03-07 |work=MySA |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Body Pulled from Austin's Lady Bird Lake, Marking Latest in a Series of Deaths |url=https://people.com/body-pulled-from-lady-bird-lake-latest-in-series-of-deaths-8559763 |access-date=2024-03-07 |website=Peoplemag |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=10 bodies pulled from Texas lake in 20 months, cops say. Now a family wants answers |url=https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article285445087.html |access-date=22 January 2025 |website=www.star-telegram.com}}</ref>

==Recreational uses==
[[File:LadyBirdLakeTrail.jpg|thumb|View of Lady Bird Lake and the Downtown skyline seen from the [[East Riverside-Oltorf, Austin, Texas|East Riverside]] neighborhood.|alt=image of Lady Bird Lake with downtown Austin in the background taken from the East Riverside neighborhood in Austin.]]
Lady Bird Lake is a major recreation area for the City of Austin. The lake's banks are bounded by the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, and businesses offer recreational watercraft services along the lakefront portion of the trail.  Austin's largest downtown park, [[Zilker Park]], is adjacent to the lake, and [[Barton Springs]], a major attraction for swimmers, flows into the lake.

The City of Austin prohibits the operation of most motorized watercraft on Lady Bird Lake.<ref name="ellis">Ellis, Luke (2006). [http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid%3A347991 "The Common Law: Boating on Town Lake – What's the Law?"] March 17, 2006.</ref>  As a result, the lake serves as a popular recreational area for [[Paddleboarding|paddleboards]], [[kayak]]s, [[canoe]]s, [[dragon boat]]s, and [[rowing (sport)|rowing shell]]s.  Austin's warm climate and the river's calm waters, nearly {{convert|6|mi|km|1}} length and straight courses are especially popular with [[sport rowing|crew]] teams and clubs.  Along with the [[University of Texas]] women's rowing team and coeducational club rowing team, who practice on Lady Bird Lake year-round, teams from other universities (including the [[University of Wisconsin]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kut.org/sports/2017-01-06/university-of-wisconsin-rowers-weather-the-austin-cold-on-lady-bird-lake|title = University of Wisconsin Rowers Weather the Austin Cold on Lady Bird Lake|date = January 7, 2017}}</ref> the [[University of Chicago]], the [[University of Oklahoma]], and the [[University of Nebraska Crew|University of Nebraska]]) train on Lady Bird Lake during [[Christmas]] holidays and [[Spring Break|spring breaks]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}} 

Other water sports along the shores of the lake include swimming in [[Deep Eddy Pool]], the oldest swimming pool in Texas, and [[Barton Springs Pool]], a natural pool on [[Barton Creek]] which flows into Lady Bird Lake. Below Tom Miller Dam is Red Bud Isle, a small island formed by the 1900 [[Austin Dam failure (Texas)|collapse of the McDonald Dam]] that serves as a recreation area with a dog park and access to the lake for canoeing and fishing.<ref name="redbud">[http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/redbudisle.htm "Austin Parks and Recreation Department, Red Bud Isle"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091121055246/http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/redbudisle.htm |date=November 21, 2009 }}</ref>

Swimming in Lady Bird Lake is illegal not due to poor water quality from the run-off from area streets, which is a false rumor, but rather due to several drownings as well as debris in the water from bridges and dams destroyed by floods in years past. The City of Austin enacted the ban in 1964, and the fine can be up to $500.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Largey|first1=Matt|title=Yup, It's Still Illegal to Swim in Lady Bird Lake. Here's Why.|url=http://kut.org/post/yup-its-still-illegal-swim-lady-bird-lake-heres-why|website=kut.org|publisher=KUT|access-date=7 June 2017}}</ref>

For the first time in August 2019, a toxic [[Blue-green Algae|blue-green algae]] was found in the lake and reportedly killed at least 5 dogs who were exposed.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bradshaw|first=Kelsey|title=Blue-green algae potentially harmful to dogs found in 10 spots along Lake Travis, LCRA says|url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/03/15/harmful-blue-green-algae-found-10-spots-along-lake-travis-lcra-says/4704927001/|access-date=2021-04-03|website=Austin American-Statesman|language=en-US}}</ref>

Music venues on the banks of Lady Bird Lake are home to a number of events year-round, including the [[Austin City Limits Music Festival]] in the fall, the [[Austin, Texas|Austin]] Reggae Festival and [[Spamarama]] in the spring, and many open-air concerts at [[Auditorium Shores]] on the south bank and Fiesta Gardens on the north bank. The [[Austin Aqua Festival]] was held on the shores of Lady Bird Lake from 1962 until 1998.{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}}  The late Austin resident and [[Slide guitar|blues guitar]] legend, [[Stevie Ray Vaughan]] played a number of concerts at [[Auditorium Shores]] and is honored with a memorial statue on the south bank.

===Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail and Boardwalk===
{{Main|Boardwalk at Lady Bird Lake}}
[[File:Butler Hike and Bike Trail Austin Runners 2017.jpg|right|thumb|Many Austinites take advantage of the Butler Trail to keep fit by walking, running or cycling.|alt=image of Butler Hike and Bike trail in Austin]]
[[File:Butler Hike and Bike Trail Boardwalk.jpg|thumb|right|Part of the boardwalk in 2018|alt=image of Bulter Hike and Bike Trail Boardwalk]]

The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, formerly the Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail, creates a complete circuit around Lady Bird Lake.  It is one of the oldest [[urban area|urban]] [[Texas]] hike and bike paths. The trail is the longest trail designed for non-motorized traffic maintained by the [[Austin, Texas|City of Austin]] Parks and Recreation Department. A local nonprofit, [https://thetrailconservancy.org/ The Trail Conservancy], is the Trail's private steward and has made [http://www.thetrailfoundation.org/meet/butler-trail-projects/ Trail-wide improvements] by adding user amenities and infrastructure including trailheads and lakefront gathering areas, locally-designed jewel box restrooms, exercise equipment, as well as doing trailwide [[ecological restoration]] work on an ongoing basis. 

The Butler Trail loop was completed in 2014 with the public-private partnership 1-mile Boardwalk at Lady Bird Lake project, which was spearheaded by The Trail Conservancy.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.thetrailfoundation.org/meet/butler-trail-projects/|title = Projects Page|publisher = The Trail Foundation|date = November 30, 2015|access-date = November 30, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Collaboration: The Boardwalk|url=https://thetrailfoundation.org/portfolio/the-boardwalk/|access-date=2021-07-14|website=The Trail Foundation|language=en-US}}</ref> Construction on the $28 million project was completed during October 2012 – June 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail and Boardwalk at Lady Bird Lake|url=https://www.austintexas.gov/department/ann-and-roy-butler-hike-and-bike-trail-and-boardwalk-lady-bird-lake|access-date=July 1, 2021|publisher=City of Austin, Texas}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Runn|first1=Courtney|date=December 23, 2017|title=Here's how to have the most Austin experience on the boardwalk|work=[[Austin American-Statesman]]|url=https://www.statesman.com/news/20171223/heres-how-to-have-the-most-austin-experience-on-the-boardwalk|access-date=July 1, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182448/https://www.statesman.com/news/20171223/heres-how-to-have-the-most-austin-experience-on-the-boardwalk |archive-date= Jul 9, 2021 }}</ref>

The trail is {{convert|10.1|mi|km}} long and mostly flat, with 97.5% of it at less than an 8% grade. The trail's surface is smooth and is mostly crushed granite except for a few lengths of concrete and a boardwalk<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.austintexas.gov/department/boardwalk-trail-lady-bird-lake |title=The Boardwalk Trail at Lady Bird Lake |publisher=City of Austin |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504211125/http://www.austintexas.gov/department/boardwalk-trail-lady-bird-lake |archive-date=May 4, 2015 |access-date=November 20, 2015}}</ref> on the South-side of the lake.  A pedestrian bridge incorporated into the trail bridges Barton Creek.  The [[Roberta Crenshaw]] Pedestrian Walkway spans Lady Bird Lake beneath [[Texas State Highway Loop 1|MoPac Boulevard]] and provides the trail's westernmost crossing of Lady Bird Lake.

The trail encompasses the [[Lou Neff Point |Lou Neff Point Gazebo]]  at the confluence of Barton Creek and Lady Bird Lake.  It is listed as 'Austin Art in Public Places'.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lou Neff Point Gazebo |url=https://culturenow.org/entry%26permalink%3D19121%26seo%3DLou-Neff-Point-Gazebo_The-Austin-Group-and-Austin-Art-in-Public-Places |website=cultureNOW |access-date=July 1, 2021 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182443/https://culturenow.org/entry%26permalink%3D19121%26seo%3DLou-Neff-Point-Gazebo_The-Austin-Group-and-Austin-Art-in-Public-Places |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Fishing===
Lady Bird Lake has been stocked with several species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. The predominant fish species in Lady Bird Lake are [[largemouth bass]], [[catfish]], [[carp]], and [[Centrarchidae|sunfish]]. Fishing is regulated, requiring a fishing license, and daily bag and length limits apply for most species.

A ban on the consumption of fish caught in the lake was issued by the City of Austin in 1990, as a result of excessively high levels of [[chlordane]] found in the fish.<ref name="ban">Texas Environmental Almanac .[http://www.texascenter.org/almanac/QUALITYCH2P6.HTML "Water Quality"]. ''Texas Environmental Almanac''.  ch. 2, p. 6.</ref>  Although the use of chlordane as a pesticide was banned in the United States in 1988, the chemical sticks strongly to soil particles and can continue to pollute groundwater for years after its application. The ban on the consumption of fish caught in the lake was finally lifted in 1999.<ref name="lifted">Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (1999).  [http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/feedback/meetings/2000/1118/transcripts/regulations_committee/ "Regulations Committee Meeting"].  Commission meeting transcript.  November 17, 1999.</ref>

==Drinking water uses==
The first water treatment facility in the City of Austin, the [[Green Water Treatment Plant|Thomas C. Green Water Treatment Plant]], was built in 1925 to treat water from the Colorado River. The plant occupied {{convert|6|acre}} just west of the principal downtown business district. The water treatment facility was decommissioned in late 2008.<ref name="green">City of Austin (2008). [http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/water/greenwtpdecommissioning.htm "Green Water Treatment Plant Decommissioning Ceremony Tuesday"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228224513/http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/water/greenwtpdecommissioning.htm |date=February 28, 2009 }}.  ''Press Release''. December 15, 2008.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060220190858/http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/recreational/lakes/town_lake/ Texas Parks and Wildlife: Town Lake]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080612151628/http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/trails.htm Austin Parks and Recreation Department]
* [http://www.thetrailfoundation.org The Trail Foundation]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090209225751/http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/parkmaps/images/trails_town_lake.jpg Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail Map]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080914000029/http://www.downtownaustintv.org/#/outdoor-recreation/lady-bird-laketown-lake/ The History of Lady Bird Lake]}}

{{Austin}}
{{Greater Austin}}
{{Texas}}

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[[Category:Geography of Austin, Texas]]
[[Category:Reservoirs in Texas]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Travis County, Texas]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Austin, Texas]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Austin, Texas]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Travis County, Texas]]
[[Category:1960 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:Cooling ponds]]